Finding and Selecting a Topic

The Importance of Choosing a Good Topic

Choosing a good topic is an essential step towards delivering an effective speech.

Learning Objectives

Explain the importance of selecting the right topic

Key Takeaways

Key Points

When you tell a story, you want your audience to be engaged, so you choose a topic that will interest your audience. The same goes for speech giving.

Key Terms

topic: Subject; theme; a category or general area of interest.

Tips for Choosing a Topic

When you tell a story, you want your audience to be engaged, so you choose a topic that will interest your audience. The same goes for speech giving.When you choose a topic, consider your audience. Ask yourself: What topic, or subject, will engage the audience?

If you are unsure what topic to choose, consider the following:

current events (newspapers, other media)
personal experience
your hobbies– Does your audience have an understanding of the basics of your hobby or the terms used in it?
your work–Are there things that you have learned through your work that would be useful to people who are not familiar with your profession?
books you may have read recently

The trick is to be as relevant as you can to the audience who is listening to you.

Source: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-communications/chapter/finding-and-selecting-a-topic/
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